Network installation management

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Network Installation Management ( NIM ) is a client-server-based framework for software management or -provisionierung for IBM - operating system AIX .

function

The system consists of a central NIM server that holds a number of installable software packages and the facilities required for their installation. All resources (clients, networks, packages, ...) are managed in a separate database. From this server, other systems, called NIM clients , are served via network connections .

The following operations can be performed with NIM:

The last three points rely on NFS as a means of data distribution.

NIM is compatible with techniques such as alt_disk_install or alt_disk_migration and their successor Multibos . Nodes in HACMP or PowerHA clusters can also be provisioned using NIM. The system allows the respective operation to be carried out in parallel on a whole group of clients, which allows software to be distributed across entire environments.

architecture

The NIM server manages all data necessary for its function in a database in ODM format. These are in particular:

  • installable software (see below)
  • Client systems dependent on the respective server and their properties
  • Networks through which the clients can be addressed

Clients

The system can be used to power systems such as X-Terms , but the most common use is to provision standalone systems in the NIM nomenclature : ordinary machines ( LPARs or physical machines) that only differ by their relationship to the NIM- Award server. In order to be able to do its work, the NIM server must be able to execute commands (as ) on the client either via remote shell or via an NIM-specific equivalent, nimshroot .

Software resources

The three most important types of software resources for the administrator are: LPP source , SPOT and mksysb . There are also a few other types (e.g. the boot ROMs for various machine types to boot systems externally) that the system takes care of itself.

LPP source

Is a collection of installable packages ( bff format or rpm ) with a name so that the collection can be handled as an entity. Software packages can be installed from such a collection or upgraded to a different version. With NIM means it is possible to “install” in an LPP source as in a virtual system, so that the resource itself can also be edited with the means of software maintenance.

SPOT

SPOT stands for shared product object tree and denotes a shared /usrdirectory. It is z. B. with XTerms NFS-mounted instead of a local disk. In the case of self-sufficient (“standalone”) systems, it is used for the first installation to create an original system, similar to the initramfs for Linux installation. The SPOT can also be installed and updated with an LPP source as the source.

mksysb

The mksysb is a bootable image of a completely installed operating system (in addition to some additional information, essentially one savevg rootvg) and is generated by the command of the same name. There are two basic ways to use mksysb s: You create a golden image and use this to supply all other systems with a basic installation, which you then individualize through further software installations depending on the purpose of the system. Or you can create such an mksysb image from a running system with NIM resources and save it on the NIM server, so that in the event of an error a fully secured and configured system is available very quickly and only needs to be applied to new hardware. The mksysb stored on the NIM server can be used to remotely start and install the target system.

Bundles

There is also the option of combining individual installable packages into so-called bundles , which can then be applied together to one or more client (s). The definition takes place via simple ASCII files in which the packages are listed. In contrast to LPP sources, which usually contain an entire operating system version or revision (e.g. a maintenance level or technical level , a service pack or the like), bundles are usually created for a specific purpose, such as a version of a specific driver package.

System installation process

First, the resources to be used are mksysbactivated (typically on ) and /tftpbootstored by the system on the NIM server under . The target machine is then started and the boot PROMs initiate a bootpsequence that assigns the machine its IP address . A rudimentary initial system is then tftptransmitted via . This system is started and takes over the further installation of the mksysbstored system image.

Sequence of a software installation or an update

First, the resources to be used are LPP-Sourceactivated (typically on ). The NIM commands automatically take care of the corresponding NFS shares in /etc/exports. The following processes can then be carried out from the machine as well as from the NIM server: the shared resource is activated via NFS ("mount"), then the software is installed using the normal package management tools ( installp or RPM Package Manager ), or updated, then the file system ("NFS share") is deactivated again.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Backing up the NIM database from the command line (English) AIX documentation from the manufacturer. Retrieved January 25, 2014